Pick Up Your Mat!!

     Months ago I had someone speak ill of me and my character as well as the character of a close friend.  Its not like its the first time its happened in my life, but it was someone I had trusted and never expected slander from, especially because of the leadership position they were in, but it happened.  It was words used flippantly and irresponsibly, not even something you joke about. It hurt me and hurt those I am close to.  One may not think that 5 little words about someone could have an affect but it did.  Sin does that.  We may think..."oh, I was just kidding" or "its just a small lie or embellishment", but a sin is a sin is a sin.  Some how, some where it has consequence. Even though its been many months later and I have forgiven for my own sake and my family and I have moved forward from it, but it has taken time and dealing with my own emotions of hurt and anger.   It is still having an impact on people I hadn't realized were affected who love me and are part of my "family" who are still dealing with anger over it.    Its the ripple affect of sin...doing exactly what Satan intended.  It is indeed Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) for the good that God is doing.  He will do anything to try and cease the work of the Father.  The enemy will do whatever he can to steal our joy at whatever moment he can....IF WE ALLOW HIM TO.  Its so easy to fall into that trap of letting the enemy steal our joy, Ive been guilty of it many times.
As I was talking with a friend last night about something they were walking through that started with sin on the part of another person and inevitably, it had stolen their joy, and left a big ole gaping hole.  They admitted that they were even a bit angry with God over the impact.  I am not for one second going to tell you that when someone sins against you that you aren't allowed to feel what you feel.  God gives us emotions as tools to help us maneuver through life and its challenges and sometimes we just feel what we feel when we are walking it out.  What I am going to say is that it is up to us how we allow those emotions to control us.  Go ahead and feel your emotion, but don't build a house there.  It seems way easier to say than to do, but it is a choice.  It's important to also pinpoint exactly where the emotions should be targeted.  So often its easy to blame God, but he is not the one seeking whom He may devour, that is the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8 Also I think the enemy gets blamed a lot for mans stupid choices.  The enemy may taunt or tempt people to do the wrong thing, but we do get a choice on whether or not we actually act upon it.  
So how long do we let the emotions fester?  Its hard to say, every person is different on how they deal with the load they carry.  Two things, however, come to mind in that statement.  First, we are not supposed to carry loads, we are supposed to cast our cares. (1 Peter 5:7)  Second, if its "festering", you need a physician.  I can think of no better Physician than the Great Physician, God Himself.
     When I was speaking to my friend and they were sharing their heart with me and I reminded them of all I have said above, I heard God then say to me in my Spirit "Pick up your mat and walk!", so out of my mouth came those words to my friend.  They became silent and reflective.  Finally they said with a smile and a chuckle "Yes Ma'am".
In John 5:1-18 and the story of the healing at the pool, Jesus asked the man who was invalid... "Do you want to get well?"  The man then responded with reasons he couldn't get well....because of what others were keeping him from doing (getting into the pool or not helping him).  Jesus then said "Pick up your mat and walk!"  Now the man could have chosen to stay on his mat and focus on the fact that he was invalid, or that nobody would help him or that they were getting in his way....OR he could decide to pick up his mat and walk.  I am happy he chose to get up.
Sometimes it takes someone in our lives to tell us to get over ourselves, suck it up, or call us out.  Sometimes we finally just get sick of sitting on out mats.  The beauty is that you get to decide and choose for yourself. Let God deal with the other persons sin.  I pray this day that you will have had enough of allowing your joy to be stolen by all the time you have given to sitting on your mat, even if it was someone else who put you there.  I pray that you will be moved to call the enemy out and let him know that he will no longer steal from you and that you are now PICKING UP YOUR MAT AND WALKING BY FAITH, FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.  Now GET UP AND WALK!